Changing Omi
by Jadebell
Summary: One shot. After the events of Time After Time, Omi has a little think about Raimundo, and Chase offers some advice. Contains spoilers for the end of season 3.


**Title:** Changing Omi  
**Rated:** U for universal, G for general ... Suitable for all ages.  
**Timeline:** Set after "Time After Time" (2).  
**Spoilers:** Hell YES. If you haven't seen the end of season 3, and don't want to know, DO NOT READ.  
**Summary:** Very short one-shot, brought about by the Time After Time episodes, and a discussion about Raimundo and Omi I had with my brother after seeing said episodes. A kind of recap of the things that have happened to Raimundo and Omi throughout the show.  
**Characters:** Omi-centric, Chase and Omi friendship.

* * *

**Changing Omi**

The sky was clear, a night-show of sparkling stars up for all to see. Omi sat outside, underneath a tree in the temple grounds, contemplating Raimundo's ascension to Shoku warrior. How could it be? He had been last to make Apprentice level! Surely, he thought angrily, he deserved to be leader far more than Raimundo. He had mastered how to use one's tiger instincts, and so had figured out that the Chameleon-bot had been posing as Kimiko. He was the one who had saved the others with the Sun Chi Lantern. He had defeated Sabeeny, forcing the evil spirit to retreat from Clay's body. What's more, he had learned numerous moves from Chase Young. Didn't that mean he was better suited to fight him?

He went through a mental catalogue of errors that Raimundo had made. He had _willingly_ gone to the Heylin side, nearly plunging the world into Wuya's eternal darkness. He had used the Shen Gong Wu when the Heylin comet had appeared, turning himself into a hideous Wu monster. And then there was the Heylin seed incident. If ever there was someone on the team who personified disobedience, Raimundo was it.

But, then again, Omi had made just as many mistakes. Using the Ring of the Nine Dragons before he had been ready; making himself large with the Changing Chopsticks; using the elemental Wu to gain everybody's powers ... Trusting Chase had been his biggest mistake, and _he'd_ nearly plunged the world into _Chase's_ eternal darkness as a result.

Perhaps, he realised sadly, he wasn't cut out to be leader. Perhaps he had deserved this, for causing so much trouble to the future. Raimundo had done a far better job of raising morale in both alternate futures, despite the fact that everything had been changed so drastically both times. When the others looked at Raimundo, they became inspired, like they could achieve anything if they tried. That was what a true leader did.

Raimundo was always coming up with ingenious ideas to fool and confound the enemy, whereas Omi spent a lot of time being fooled _by_ the enemy … Raimundo had used the Eye of Dashi and the Sword of the Storm in a new way in the showdown against Tubbimura, and had rescued them all from Pandabubba. He had even fooled Hannibal Bean into thinking he had turned evil again. He had come up with the plan to use the Cannon Blaster to reach Spicer's Shen Gong Wu vault in the future, and he had even fought against Wuya, Guan, Chase and Bean all by himself. Thanks to his bravery, they had won that showdown for the Eye of Dashi, enabling them to restore the timeline to normal.

Raimundo had just as much right to be to the leader as he did, and this realisation hit Omi hard, as if a bucket of cold water had been splashed down his back. His goal in life was gone. All of his hopes, his dreams of leading the Xiaolin monks into battle, just like Dashi had done, had been destroyed in seconds …

So immersed was he in his self-pity that he didn't notice a tall figure appear next to him.

"Deep in thought, are we?"

Omi immediately jumped to his feet.

"Chase Young!"

The last time Chase had been here, it had been in a full-on assault on the temple with practically every villain they had ever fought.

"Relax, little one," he said, not moving a single muscle. "I didn't come here to fight. Merely, to talk."

"What are you doing here?"

Chase paused. He was as calm and aloof as ever, but he granted Omi the gift of a smile. "I … wanted to thank you for your concern. You tried to save me from this path …"

"You mean … you remember what happened too?"

Chase paced slowly, arms behind his back. "I had forgotten what it was like to have a soul … But, some things are just not meant to be. You must acknowledge your own shortcomings and be willing to accept that you cannot have everything. Only then can you grow to become a true Dragon of the Xiaolin way."

Chase shot a knowing glance back at him, and then disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, but Omi smiled warmly. The feeling of comradery he had felt when he had fought alongside Chase, even if it had been only in an alternate future, had been worth all the trouble he had caused. It had just felt right, to have Chase on the Xiaolin side. He remembered how Chase had smiled at them all after they had won the damsel-in-distress showdown. It hadn't lasted for long, but the memory was enough to give Omi hope, that Chase would one day be good again.

He turned around and left the tree, still smiling as he headed back into the temple with a renewed sense of determination. He had completely forgotten about becoming leader, for he had found a new quest.

His _new_ goal in life: to find a cure for the Lao Mon Long soup.

* * *

Could've been better – but then, it could have been worse. The idea just popped into my head randomly, as they often do. I finished it in about half an hour, and I couldn't be bothered to add anything more to it, really.


End file.
